SC gas prices back to April levels (AUDIO)

As you finalize your plans for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend take note that gasoline prices have stabilized for now as the threat of $4 a gallon gas has hit the skids in South Carolina. The cost of a barrel of crude oil has dropped to $97.29 on the New York Mercantile Exchange, and Tom Crosby of AAA Carolinas says that has meant a drop in gasoline prices. The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline is $3.61.

Crosby says while the good news is we are back to paying the same price as a month ago for gasoline, the bad news is we are paying about a dollar more per gallon of gas than we did this time last year.

Crosby says those traveling across the state will experience a small difference in the price of a gallon of regular unleaded moving from the Upstate to the coast. Crosby says the price in Greenville is currently $ 3.57 compared to a high in Charleston of $3.68. The price in Myrtle Beach is curently at $3.59 a gallon.

Compared to a year ago, Crosby says a slight increase in the number of people hitting the highways for the holiday weekend is expected and that number may increase with the latest drop in gasoline prices. Crosby says last year the price of gasoline dropped 17 cents between the last week in May and June 15 and we may experience a similar drop during the next three weeks.

The current national average price of a gallon of unleaded gasoline stands at $3.84 compared to $3.61 in South Carolina.